Fiber optic drones are changing combat operations

March 2024, <i>&quot;Fiber optic drone control beats any RF jammer&quot;</i>, 250 comments, <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=41143322">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=41143322</a><p>August 2024, commercial availability, <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;davidhambling&#x2F;2024&#x2F;08&#x2F;20&#x2F;russia-launches-new-drone-weapons-against-kursk-offensive&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;davidhambling&#x2F;2024&#x2F;08&#x2F;20&#x2F;russia...</a><p><pre><code> German company HIGHCAT is demonstrating its HMX fiber-optic drone in Ukraine this month. Now combat footage has emerged of what appears to be the first strikes by this type of weapon ... The controller can use an AI system heavier and more powerful than a drone could carry, taking advantage of high-resolution imagery to track and identify objects in real time. The cheap drone is expended but the expensive controller is reused for multiple strikes. Six months ago this technology was not even a rumor. Now it is on the open market and destroying targets.</code></pre>

I recommend reading these two recent reports by Shura Burtin, these go into some details about impact of drone warfare:<p>* <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;meduza.io&#x2F;en&#x2F;feature&#x2F;2025&#x2F;03&#x2F;27&#x2F;please-don-t-use-my-name" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;meduza.io&#x2F;en&#x2F;feature&#x2F;2025&#x2F;03&#x2F;27&#x2F;please-don-t-use-my-...</a> - less focused on the subject.<p>* <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;meduza.io&#x2F;feature&#x2F;2025&#x2F;03&#x2F;25&#x2F;terminator-veschiy-film" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;meduza.io&#x2F;feature&#x2F;2025&#x2F;03&#x2F;25&#x2F;terminator-veschiy-film</a> - more focus on the subject (no English version yet, use Google Translate or something).

Here is a photo of dozens of spent fiber optic lines hanging in trees in Ukraine. It’s interesting to see how quickly the FPV drone tech evolves.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.instagram.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;DHZdHK_Ryyp&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.instagram.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;DHZdHK_Ryyp&#x2F;</a>

The weird part is that they are also advertised on Instagram. More than once I have gotten an ad from an account showcasing these fiber optic drones and their R&amp;D operation. And you can openly contact them for inquries.

I wonder if you could have a mothership drone situation, where one drone sits high and out of range, and others fly out to their targets. Would prevent the cable getting caught on stuff and stop the cable leading back to the operator.

OK, this is totally wild. I did not expect them to mean the drones are tethered to the base station by fiber.

What’s the old adage, is it “I don’t know how WW3 will end, but WW4 will end with rock paper scissors”?<p>Right now, my money’s on scissors.

I am reminded of a poetic moment from a former US army person who told me of sunlight glinting off the trail of wires left behind after practice launches of wire guided MANPAD type systems. He said they were like spider silk in the dawn.

Doesn’t this have the added benefit of the operator not broadcasting their position? So anti jamming but also anti-pilot getting shelled&#x2F;counter droned? Or is tracing the drone operators not so common?

I&#x27;m surprised this works as well as they&#x27;re describing! There&#x27;s a single comment about risk that the fiber could become tangled or broken, but they show the drones going through dense forest. I would think that becoming tangled or snagged would rapidly become a serious issue.

Way to lead the enemy to operator HQ. They don&#x27;t even need to follow it just triangulate paths like good ol radio.

Couple of dumb thoughts:<p>- Can another drone grab the fiber and walk back to your base?<p>- Can you use the fiber to a master drone which acts as a repeater&#x2F;controller for normal RF drones? Yes you can still jam them, but with the tx&#x2F;rx closer to the action you need a more effective jammer.<p>- How much power can these types of fiber optic cable carry? A couple watts max? Yes I know that&#x27;s not what the intent is I&#x27;m just curious if you could use it that way.<p>- On the one hand glass isn&#x27;t the worst thing we could be dumping into the environment but damn that sounds like some wicked splinters... Sure, war is never kind to the environment. Just saying...

I wonder if the stream&#x27;s encrypted or if you could just patch in and send it back to the sender